CNN Medical Analyst Isn’t Buying ‘Laughable’ Explanation For McConnell’s Freeze-Ups

CNN medical analyst Jonathan Reiner isn’t sold on the assessments of two recent incidents in which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) froze while speaking in front of the press.

On Tuesday, Attending Physician of Congress Brian Monahan issued a letter to McConnell, who missed time in the Senate earlier this year after sustaining a concussion after a fall. During the freeze-ups this summer, the senator appeared to enter a catatonic state in which he was unresponsive to questions.

“My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study, and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,” Monahan wrote to McConnell. “There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, [transient ischemic attack] or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.”

Later in the day, Reiner appeared on CNN’s OutFront to give his take.

“I wanna get your reaction to the letter, the letter that we have been given right from McConnell’s team and a physician who states that there’s no evidence McConnell had a stroke or seizure or is suffering from any other diseases like Parkinson’s,” host Erin Burnett said. “They say that the senator has been evaluated by four neurologists. Does all of this sound right to you?”

Reiner replied:

REINER: No, because I think to most physicians, the two very similar episodes that Senator McConnell had about five weeks apart really are very typical of a focal seizure and I think you need to really read between the lines of what Dr. Monahan wrote. He wrote there is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder. The senator was administered an EEG, which is an electrical test of the brain. Think of it as sort of an EKG of the brain.

BURNETT: Yes.

REINER: But an EEG will only be abnormal in somebody with epilepsy about half the time because it’s a snapshot of what’s going on with the electrical activity of your brain the moment the test is done. So, if he’s not having a seizure, it’s not likely to be abnormal. So, what Dr. Monahan wrote was there is no evidence you have a seizure, although clinically that is what it really appears to be.

Last week, Monahan suggested McConnell’s stupors could be explained by light-headedness.

“Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” he said last week after consulting with McConnell. Burnett asked Reiner to weigh in:

BURNETT: McConnell’s office has attributed the episodes– their attribution is light-headedness as a lingering symptom from the concussion that he suffered in that fall that he had back in March. Now, when you look at it through that lens, is that reasonable?

REINER: No. I’m unaccustomed to saying that I agree with Senator Paul, but I agree with Senator Paul. I take care of plenty of folks who have light-headedness, either in the setting of dehydration from working outside in the hot D.C. summer or after an illness like influenza or even Covid. And most people with light-headedness feel lightheaded. They feel a little woozy. Maybe they feel they have to sit down. Patients with light-headedness don’t present with, this sort of staring off into the periphery, unable to speak for 10 to 30 seconds. That’s very consistent with a focal seizure. It would be really better for the senator’s team to just be a little bit more transparent because that explanation is a little laughable.

Watch above via CNN.